Handle the Hassles of the Helium Shortage

Convert to alternative carrier gas

Convert to an alternative carrier gas

To avoid disruptions caused by helium shortages, consider an alternative carrier gas for your analyses. Hydrogen is a good option if you are using GC/MS, or if your method is resolution-critical. If you are performing GC, and if your method resolution is more than sufficient, try nitrogen.

Make sure that your system is compatible with an alternative carrier gas

This table will help you determine if your instrument configuration is compatible with hydrogen or nitrogen carrier gas. All components of your system—including sample introduction devices—must be able to use any alternative carrier gas you may be considering for your application.

System compatibility

Technique	Product	Hydrogen Carrier Gas	Nitrogen Carrier Gas
GC	8890 GC	Yes (all inlets)	Yes (all inlets)
	Intuvo 9000 GC	Yes (all inlets)	Yes (all inlets)
	8860 GC	Yes (all inlets)	Yes (all inlets)
	8850 GC	Yes (all inlets)	Yes (all inlets)
	990 Micro GC	Yes	Yes
	490 Micro GC	Yes	Yes
	7890 Series GC	Yes (all inlets)	Yes (all inlets)
	7820 Series GC	Yes (all inlets)	Yes (all inlets)
	6890 Series GC	Yes (all inlets)	Yes (all inlets)
6850 GC	Yes (all inlets)	Yes (all inlets)
GC Detectors	FID	Yes (capillary columns)	Yes (capillary and packed columns)
	TCD	Yes (capillary and packed columns)	Yes (capillary and packed columns)*
	ECD	Yes (capillary columns)	Yes (capillary and packed columns)
	NPD	No	Yes (capillary and packed columns)
	FPD	Yes (capillary and packed columns)	Yes (capillary and packed columns)
	SCD	Yes (capillary and packed columns)	Yes (capillary and packed columns)
	NCD	Yes (capillary and packed columns)	No
GC/MS	5977 Series single quad	Yes	Not recommended
	7000 Series triple quad	Yes	Not recommended
	7010 Series triple quad	Yes	Not recommended
	7250 Q-TOF	No	Not recommended
	7200 Series Q-TOF	No	Not recommended
	5975 Series single quad	Yes	Not recommended
	5973 Series single quad	Yes	Not recommended
Sample introduction
Headspace	8697 Series	Yes	Yes
	7697A Series	Yes	Yes
	G1888	No	Yes
	7694	No	Yes
Thermal Desorption	TD-xr	Yes (multi-gas version)	Yes (all versions)
Purge and Trap	Lumin	Yes (must use inert gas for purge)	Yes
	AQUATek	Yes (must use inert gas for purge)	Yes
	AtomX	Yes (must use inert gas for purge)	Yes
* Typically only used when measuring helium or hydrogen in a sample. Information in this table is current as of April 24, 2024.

Compare carrier gas options

Carefully consider all your options when choosing a carrier gas for your GC or GC/MS method.

Pros and cons of each carrier gas

	Pros	Cons
Helium Carrier Gas	Always the first choice, if available	Frequent shortages and delivery interruptions
	Excellent chromatographic and MS performance	Inconsistent or high costs
	All reference spectra in libraries are obtained with helium	Sometimes difficult to find in chromatographic grades
Hydrogen Carrier Gas	Best alternative to helium	Requires attention to safety
Hydrogen Carrier Gas	Better chromatographic resolution and speed compared to helium	Requires attention to reactivity
Nitrogen Carrier Gas	Inexpensive	Requires longer run times to achieve resolution
	Widely available in chromatographic grades	Not recommended for use with MSD
	Safer than hydrogen

Method translation for your alternative carrier gas

Agilent method translator software can help you convert from helium to hydrogen or nitrogen carrier gas. Using your existing helium method parameters, this tool will automatically suggest new pressure, flow, velocity, and temperature program rates for hydrogen or nitrogen carrier gas—ensuring virtually identical relative retention order.

Method translator is built into OpenLab CDS software, or it can be downloaded as a standalone application.

Helium to hydrogen conversion

Switch from helium to hydrogen carrier gas

Methods that generally require less optimization include analytes that are:

“Durable” compounds
At higher concentrations
Analyzed with split injections
Derivatized

When converting from helium to hydrogen carrier gas, allow time for validation and necessary updates to SOPs.

ASTM D5769: GC/MS analysis of aromatics in gasoline

Considerations when using hydrogen as a carrier gas:

Due to flow limitations with MS pumping capacity, we recommend a turbo pump.
Peak elution orders and column sample capacity may change slightly.
Hydrogen may interact with analytes and the sample flow path, so an inert column and flow path are recommended. Lower inlet temperatures can reduce the chance of hydrogen reacting with the system.
Certain solvents, such as methylene chloride and carbon disulfide, should be avoided.

Download our user guide for detailed instructions on converting your Agilent EI GC/MS system from helium to hydrogen carrier gas. The guide also includes tips for any GC user thinking about switching.

HydroInert source for GC/MS and GC/MS/MS

Using hydrogen carrier gas for GC/MS analysis doesn’t work well with semivolatile organic compounds, pesticides, and other active compounds. The Agilent HydroInert source improves chromatographic efficiencies with hydrogen, allowing you to:

Maximize your return on investment for hydrogen carrier gas.
Achieve faster, shorter separations.
Reduce sensitivity loss and spectral anomalies.
Minimize downtime caused by system maintenance and ion source cleaning.

Learn more about the capabilities of the HydroInert source in our informative technical overview.

Built-in safety features for hydrogen carrier gas

If a hydrogen leak occurs, Agilent GC and GC/MS systems will perform a series of actions. These include opening the exhaust flaps, turning off the hydrogen gas supply, shutting down thermal zones, and displaying a safety shutdown message on the front panel (with alarm tone).

The optional Hydrogen Sensor Module Series 2 for 8890 and 8860 (G6598A), 8850 (G3982A), or 7890B (G6597A) GC systems checks for free hydrogen that may come from flow path leaks. It monitors free hydrogen levels in the GC column oven and triggers a shutdown of all hydrogen gas flows before the hydrogen level reaches 1%. That’s well below the limit that may pose a risk.

What’s more, the advanced design of the Series 2 sensor offers these advantages:

It significantly reduces signal drift and only requires calibration at installation, then semi-annually.
Intelligent internal diagnostics monitor sensor status during continuous operation.
No pump is required to aspirate a sample of the oven atmosphere into the sensor. That means you don’t have to use a mechanical device that can fail and lead to system downtime.
You can continue using the inlet that works best for your application. The sensor is installed in the GC mainframe and is not integrated with a single injection port.

To learn more about working with hydrogen carrier gas, consult the Agilent GC/MS Hydrogen Safety user manual and technical overviews for the Intuvo 9000, 8890, and 8860 GC systems.

Helium to nitrogen conversion

Switch from helium to nitrogen carrier gas

Nitrogen often gets a bad reputation as a GC carrier gas. While it yields the sharpest peaks compared to helium and hydrogen, peak broadening occurs rapidly as linear velocity increases. Therefore, using the same linear velocity with nitrogen carrier gas may result in some loss of chromatographic resolution.

When method resolution is more than adequate with helium, nitrogen carrier gas can be an acceptable choice. It provides a good separation without the supply and cost issues of helium—or the safety concerns of hydrogen. If you want to switch to nitrogen, and need to fully separate some critical peaks, you can use a lower linear velocity to maintain or even improve resolution. However, this process will result in longer analysis times.

So, before dismissing nitrogen as an alternative carrier, consider if your method can absorb some resolution loss, or if a slight increase in analysis time is acceptable.

GC analysis of FAME content in biodiesel by EN14103

Note: Nitrogen carrier gas is not recommended for electron ionization GC/MS due to decreased sensitivity and poorer library matching compared to helium.

Alternative carrier gas applications

Application notes for hydrogen and nitrogen carrier gas

Agilent has published many GC and GC/MS application notes using either hydrogen or nitrogen as carrier gas. Focus areas include energy and chemical, environmental, food, pharmaceutical, and more.

Hydrogen carrier gas applications

Industry	Title
Energy and Chemical	Determination of Benzene and Toluene in Gasoline by ASTM D3606 on an Agilent 8890 GC with Capillary Columns
	Robust, Sensitive, and Reliable ACCUTRACE (TM) Plus Fuel Marker Analysis by Two-Dimensional GC/MS Using Hydrogen as the Carrier Gas
	The Analysis of Monocyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by ASTM D7504 on the Agilent 8850 GC System
	Helium, Argon, Nitrogen, and Hydrocarbon Impurity Analysis in Hydrogen Using an Agilent 8890 GC and TCD/FID System
Environmental	Fast Analysis of 18 Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Using the Agilent Intuvo 9000 GC Dual ECD
	Volatile Organic Compounds Analysis in Drinking Water with Headspace GC/MSD Using Hydrogen Carrier Gas and HydroInert Source
	Analysis of Semivolatile Organic Compounds with Hydrogen Carrier Gas and HydroInert Source by Gas Chromatography/Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS/MS)
	Analysis of Semivolatile Organic Compounds Using Hydrogen Carrier Gas and HydroInert Source by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry
	EPA TO-15 Analysis Using Hydrogen Carrier Gas and the Agilent HydroInert Source
	PAH Analysis Using GC/MS/MS, Hydrogen Carrier Gas, and the Agilent HydroInert Source
	Analysis of PAHs Using GC/MS with Hydrogen Carrier Gas and the Agilent HydroInert Source
	Optimized PAH Analysis Using Triple Quadrupole GC/MS with Hydrogen Carrier
	Analysis of Phthalate with Hydrogen Carrier Gas
	Two Methods to Perform the New US EPA Method 1628 with GC/MSD: Traditional Helium Carrier Gas and Hydrogen Carrier Gas
Food	Analysis of Distilled Spirits Using an Agilent 8890 Gas Chromatograph System
	Extraction and Analysis of PAHs in Infant Formula Using Agilent Captiva EMR-Lipid Cartridges by GC/MS with H2 Carrier Gas
	Optimized PAH Analysis Using Triple Quadrupole GC/MS with Hydrogen Carrier
	Flavor and Fragrance GC/MS Analysis with Hydrogen Carrier Gas and the Agilent HydroInert Source
	Hydrogen Carrier Gas for Analyzing Pesticides in Pigmented Foods with GC/MS/MS
	Essential Oils Analysis Using GC/MS with Hydrogen and the Agilent HydroInert Source
	Examination of Mass Spectra of Aroma Components in Essential Oils via GC/MS
	Method Translation for the Analysis of Vanilla Extracts Using an Agilent 8850 GC System
Cannabis and Hemp	Analysis of Terpenes in Cannabis with Hydrogen Carrier Gas and the Agilent HydroInert Source on the Agilent 8890/5977C GC/MS
	Analysis of Residual Solvents in Cannabinoid Products with Hydrogen Carrier Gas and the Agilent HydroInert Source
	Spectral Fidelity of Terpenes in Cannabis with Hydrogen Carrier Gas
	Analysis of Terpenes in Cannabis with Hydrogen Carrier Gas and the Agilent HydroInert Source on the Agilent Intuvo 9000/5977C GC/MS
Forensics	Evaluation of Hydrogen Carrier Gas and the Agilent HydroInert Source for Forensic Street Drug Analysis
Pharmaceutical	Residual Solvents Analysis for the Pharmaceutical Industry Using the Agilent 8697 Headspace Sampler and 8850 GC-FID System
Pharmaceutical	Quantification of Nitrosamine Impurities in Sartan Drugs Using an Agilent GC/TQ with Hydrogen Carrier Gas
Other	Quality Control of Fragrance Samples by GC-FID: Method Transfer from the Agilent 7890 GC to the Agilent Intuvo 9000 GC
Other	Identification of Metabolites in Porcine Serum with Hydrogen Carrier Gas

Nitrogen carrier gas applications

Industry	Title
Energy and Chemical	A Unified Method for the Analysis of Monocyclic Aromatic Solvents Using the Agilent 8860 GC System and On Board Data Processing
	Analysis of Residual N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) in Lithium-Ion Battery Electrodes
	Analysis of N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) in Battery Electrodes Using the Agilent 8860 GC with Ultrasound-assisted Extraction
Environmental	Analysis of 27 Halogenated Hydrocarbons and 11 Volatile Organic Compounds in Drinking Water
	Analysis of Drinking Water with the Agilent 8860 GC and 7697A Headspace Sampler
	Determination of Halogenated Hydrocarbons, Benzene, and Derivatives in Drinking Water with the Agilent 8697 Headspace Sampler and Agilent 8890 GC System
	Haloacetic Acid Analysis by the Agilent Intuvo 9000 Dual ECD System
Food	Analysis of Organophosphorus and Organochlorine Pesticides in Fruit and Vegetables Using an Agilent 8890 GC with Four Detectors
	Rapid Analysis of 37 FAMEs with the Agilent 8860 Gas Chromatograph
	Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs) Analysis on an Agilent 8890 GC and Its Application to Real Samples
	Analysis of Flavor Compounds in Beer using the Integrated Agilent 8697 Headspace Sampler with the Agilent 8890 GC System
Forensic	Method Translation and Evaluation to Implement Nitrogen Carrier Gas in the Dual-Flame Ionization Detector Configuration for Blood Alcohol Analysis
Pharmaceutical	Analysis of USP <467> Residual Solvents Using the Agilent 8697 Headspace Sampler-XL Tray and Agilent 8890 GC System
Other	Determination of Ethylene Oxide and Ethylene Chlorohydrin in Medical Devices Using the Agilent 8890 GC and 7697A Headspace Sampler

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